People Who Are Trying to Change What's Happening:

NJ Coalition to Bring the Troops Home NowBringing together local groups in New Jersey that oppose the war in Iraq to carry out joint activities and campaigns. Their aim is to intensify peace activity and to bring the Iraq war to an end - the sooner the better.

Long story short - my brother and his spouse, who now live in Massachusetts, wanted to come down and join us at one of the last Springsteen concerts at Giants Stadium, on 10/3. I was able to get tickets, but not four together - just two and two in different, distant sections. Fortunately, somebody I've been to concerts with before learned of my plight, and offered us four of her tickets for that night, all together in a better section.

So, yesterday I went on our local internet message board, describing the two sets of tickets and offering them at face value. Shortly thereafter, someone who lives a short distance from my house asked for all four, and said that my offer was an inspiration to turn next weekend into a Springsteen weekend with her husband and two of his friends. I delivered the tickets early this afternoon, and in addition to the face value they gave me a nice bottle of wine.

Anyway, the whole point for our purpose this evening is that if there's something you want, you've got to raise your hand.

In case you missed Stephen Colbert "going there" on the whole right-wing whining about accusations of some racism in their ranks -

It's not merely a comedy routine, but also a meticulously compiled brief which shows the arc of anti-Obama commentary which has a strong anti-African American component. Such as his example of Glenn Beck declaiming, "The health care bill is reparations. It's the beginning of reparations," or Rush Limbaugh telling his audience, "Obama's entire economic program is reparations. ...If I were Sharpton, I'd say 'he gonna take from the rich, he's gonna take -- he's gonna give it to you."

While it's good to laugh, it's also good to be concerned about the audio poison which clowns like Beck and Limbaugh continue to pour out.

I think it's ridiculous that people are letting the right-wing media whip them into a frenzy over a Presidential speech to school kids, urging them to work hard, study and succeed. The usual suspects are bleating nonsense that they're just concerned about "parental choice" in what their kids hear in school, or that it's "partisan".

The Nationwide Tea Party Coalition announces “Hall Pass on That,” the alternative to President Barack Obama’s September 8th address to school children across the nation. The group asks that schools who choose to participate in the president’s September 8th program offer an alternative to students and families who do not wish to view, or have their children view, a partisan address or participate in activities that did not follow proper educational protocol or obtain parental consent.

I'm sure these same people have been just as devoted to respecting the Establishment Clause and keeping kids from being proselytized in school. Not.

I think that it's simply a case of some parents not wanting their kids to see that the President of the United States is an African-American with an accomplished background, obvious poise and intelligence, and who tells everybody that there's no limit to what they can achieve. Not the "thizzle thug" with a bone through his nose as these parents have been telling their kids all this time.